To take a job as a 'sexting' operative

[LegoInTheDyson]

I've been looking for jobs I can do from home that will fit around two small children. A quick Google search has come up with a couple of possibilities including sex line operative.

I can't talk dirty on demand without laughing my head off but they have vacancies for text operatives. Basically you log in, receive a text from someone wanting to chat to one of the fake personas advertised by the company, and reply in character. I could do that easily.

The company I found is called LiveLines UK, they'll pay 5p per text and 10p per picture message (pictures are of the persona, not me). The only issue is that they want a commitment of 20 hours a week so I'm trying to find a company who will let me do less than that to begin with so I can do it while the DCs are asleep or out.

DH isn't bothered by it he's even offered to help me with replies as it's impersonal, there's no actual physical contact, and it's an act. It suits me as it fits round the children and I can work in my pyjamas.

Is there anything I haven't considered? Anyone got any experience of this work?

[startwig1982]

Ummm... No.

[KWL51]

No experience but i can't see a problem with it if your comfortable doing it. Seems a bit cheap though realistically how many texts can you expect to send?

[lazymonkeyface]

Go for it! If your DH isn't bothered, and it fits in with looking after the children, then do it.

I wouldn't be able to, i can't sext my DH, nevermind anyone else! I'm not very imaginative

[squeakytoy]

Why do the kids need to be asleep or out? You are texting, not talking.

[squeakytoy]

And do they provide you with a phone?

[AKissIsNotAContract]

It seems very low paid. Assuming you send one text a minute you would only get £3 an hour. You could spend lots of time waiting for texts without receiving any.

[Rhinestone]

Wasn't there a thread about exactly this very recently? You could try and search for it OP, think there was some useful advice on there about the ins and outs (sorry!) of this kind of work.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

i once had a patient who did this.
i had to speak to his employer for occ. health reasons and was pleasantly surprised at how professional and sympathetic his employer was. He worked in a call centre type place though, not from home.

[TheLightPassenger]

agree about being wary about the potentially low pay. You might be better off mystery shopping and doing surveys, as at least you have more control over the hours (many mystery shopping assignments can be done with a child in tow).

[SkinnedAlive]

My only concern would be repetetive stress injury in your fingers with all the texting - 20 hours a week is a lot!

[LatteLady]

Hmmm... I think that this is below the minimum wage. If you got just one text off per minute, that would only be £3 an hour... £60 per week...

Is there a guaranteed level of work?

[TroublesomeEx]

You'll get RSI from that texting!!

[whackamole]

I would do it if it was more money. I remember watching a programme donkeys ago about doing this (well - proper calls I think it was) and it turned out that it really wasn't as lucrative as people might think.

[EirikurNoromaour]

I wouldn't have a problem with it ethically speaking, I'd do it for a couple of hours a week if it was £10 per hour or something. It will be really horrible, stressful work though. Constantly texting will be bad for your concentration and mental well being, and making up rudeness will seriously impact on your own sex drive and motivation. I really wouldn't do it for so many hours and so little pay.
If you need extra money, do you have a spare room or a dc small enough to share with you for a week or so at a time? Taking in language students is very easy and quite lucrative really.

[kensingtonia]

I would advise you not to do it because you are likely to be ripped off as other posters have pointed out; there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there who prey on people in your position. I was in your situation when my kids were small. There are virtually no unskilled jobs you can do from home and look after two small kids at the same time. I would have taken a Saturday job in a shop or library but my OH worked shifts so I ended up working in a call centre as a casual market research interviewer where I could book shifts according to my OH's schedule. Horrible job but the pay was OK especially if you can speak another language. Later on I worked two evenings and every other Saturday in a university library. There are some shops that allow you to work one or two evenings and Saturday or Sunday. It is horrible to go out when your OH is just coming in and spend weekends apart but if you really need the money it is the better option. It is not for ever.

[troisgarcons]

Go for it - most of the operatives are male students anyway.

A fool and their money are soon parted.

[roxieandhergirl]

hi im also interested in doing this as im out of work and need some extra cash. dose any one know of any websites that i can go on to get into the texting side of things. i have thought about takeing calls aswell but im not sure im ready for that yet.

please dont juge times are hard and money is money at the end of the day

[valiumredhead]

I am texting Queen and even I wouldn't be able to text for 20 hours a week

[Fakebook]

Sounds like a rip off. Not to mention low level and crude, but whatever floats ya boat.

[BlushingBrightly]

I imagine you could be quite cut-and-paste in your approach to this, though - you will find after a bit that the same lines can be used over and over. In that case, if you could either set them up as a template on your phone, or use a web application so you could actually copy and paste from a stock set of lines, then that would save on the potential RSI and the thought needed... (btw I haven't done this type of work, but my job does involve elements where I have saved myself time by cutting-and-pasting stock bits of text, so this has got me thinking...)

It does sound though as if it might not be as lucrative as it seems. Having said that, if you try it and don't make much, presumably you can give it up? Are you locked into any kind of contract if you agree to work for them? Check the terms and conditions carefully. And as has been said, do they give you a phone? I assume the texts go to a different number and just get forwarded, rather than punters being given your number?

[KellyEllyChristmasBelly]

My only concern would be repetetive stress injury in your fingers with all the texting - 20 hours a week is a lot!

[Nixea]

Normally on texting services you don't actually send the text from your phone. You log on to a chat service via a computer and type your messages from there. Just in case RSI is the issue ;)

[mrskeithrichards]

You text of a computer not a phone

Double check your info because livelines don't generally employ people to text only it's usually done by people who do the phones too.

[pixwix]

Crikey! with my typing skills, they'd doze off!

[mrskeithrichards]

The income isn't that good that's why it's chat line operators that do it between calls. It's not constant you could go for a good ten minutes between messages at busy (as in lots of operators on) time and everyones scrabbling for the same reply.

To top up a chat income (which is what they mean you need to log on for 20 hours for) I'd get about £30 a week.